I had the privilege of taking a behind-the-scenes look at the operation of a cruise ship recently where I saw all sorts of inner workings working and got to hear all sorts of tales from a variety of the ship’s higher-ups. One of those was from the ship’s Cruise Director. For whatever reason, I asked what the stupidest question they heard was and the answer came back as “what time is the midnight buffet?” On its surface it looks like a really stupid question, actually. Frankly, the name itself sort of gives the answer. There are two ways to look at this - one is to scoff at the questioner with the obvious question but there is actually a way to give the person the answer they really want. I love observing people and how they interact with one another. So it was of particular interest as I was sitting at lunch to watch an entire team practice in a ballet of epic failure one particular day. This goes back to what someone recently asked me about an entire city and what I felt their biggest problem with tourism is. But first, the team.
A friend of mine recently posted a photo on his Facebook wall that reminded me of something I try to live my life by: no matter what you do, there is a way to make what you do better. Essentially what he posted was a memo but it was one that was worth quite a bit of money.
You never have a second chance to make a first impression. Whoever came up with that cliche really said a mouthful. But there is wisdom in that expression for those of us with businesses as well. And a lesson we can learn from our dogs. As many of you know I sold my resort about a year ago. Naturally, part of the sale process was an escrow transaction which might normally be not so memorable but, a year later, I still am impressed by the greetings I got from a local escrow company. Whenever anyone walked into this business it was as if you were visiting old friends and, as you walked through, the entire staff would greet you warmly. |
Tony BarthelTony Barthel is passionate about great marketing for small businesses Get Free Weekly Marketing TipsCategories
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